Rahul Gandhi To Leave Wayanad, Represent Raebareli as MP: Sources

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is reportedly planning to vacate his Wayanad seat and represent Rae Bareli as an MP, sources told Republic World. Gandhi, who secured victory in both Wayanad and Rae Bareli constituencies in the 2024 general elections, had expressed his dilemma over which constituency to relinquish. He assured that whichever decision he makes, would be well-received by both constituencies. 

In Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi defeated CPI leader Annie Raja with a substantial margin of over 3.6 lakh votes. Similarly, in Rae Bareli, he won with a margin of 3.9 lakh votes against BJP leader Dinesh Pratap Singh.  

If reports are to be believed, Gandhi's office last week reached out to the Table Branch of Lok Sabha to inquire about the resignation process. As per the election guidelines, an individual can contest from two Lok Sabha seats but must relinquish one within 14 days of the election results being declared. He now faces a deadline of June 18 to make a decision on which seat to retain, failing which both seats would become vacant.

Earlier, the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Chief K Sudhakaran dropped a hint that Wayanad may go vacant. "We should not be saddened as Rahul Gandhi, who is supposed to lead the nation, cannot be expected to remain in Wayanad. Therefore, we should not be sad. Everyone should understand that and give all their wishes and support to him,” Sudhakaran had said. 

Following the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a similar situation where he had won from both Vadodara (Gujarat) and Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh). Ultimately, he chose to represent Varanasi in Parliament. 

In the 2019 elections, Rahul Gandhi faced a setback when he lost to BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi. However, his decision to contest from Wayanad ensured his continuation in the lower house of Parliament.